LinkedIn has been a fantastic social media site for professionals – I’ve often referred to it as the “Facebook for business” and the “underdog of social media.” It grew quietly and has become a great resource for networking, lead generation, and recruitment over the last couple of years.
The infographic below shows data on how people are using LinkedIn, what benefits they get, and when people use it. Some of the more interesting statistics include:
79.6% of LinkedIn users utilize the groups feature most often. I’m not surprised to see this number increase over years past. Before, many users did not take advantage of the LinkedIn Groups, but this is a wonderful feature for people to connect with others, show their expertise, and learn more about their industry.
64% of LinkedIn users utilize the “Who’s looked at your profile” feature. We can’t help it – we want to know who’s checking us out. This is a great way to find new connections, potential lead generation, and to see what types of people are drawn to your profile. While this is great for LinkedIn, I think Facebook would come to a screeching halt if they ever implemented this feature. Just food for thought.
Interestingly, this infographic does not illustrate that people are using LinkedIn for lead generation and/or employment purposes. If this were to be revisited a year from now, I would guess that these two tasks would make it to the infographic. More and more companies, especially in the B2B segment, are using LinkedIn for lead generation. As a B2B company, we have gained several new contacts through LinkedIn over the last couple of years.
Similarly, employers are using many different methods to find and vet potential new employees. While most check out the potential hire’s blogs, Facebook, and Twitter, LinkedIn can be a great resource to learn more about potential candidates.
Take a look at the infographic below and let us know what you think. Are there any surprises? How do YOU use LinkedIn, and how often? We’d love to hear from you!
